Ard Wants to Live 

Ard’s gloom did not last long. In the afternoon, as he was training in his room with the weighted gear, a servant suddenly came to inform him that the Baron wished to see him.

Puzzled, Ard made his way to the Baron’s study. As he approached, he heard the roar of a wild boar, followed by the sound of things smashing and breaking.

“What’s wrong with the Baron?” he asked the servant beside him.

The servant lowered his head and whispered, “The Baron’s treasury was attacked again. Although we were prepared this time, the enemy still managed to make off with some of the valuables.”

A strange expression crossed Ard’s face. He had specifically warned the Boss man not to act rashly. Had he really been so blinded by the treasure that he’d turned into a complete idiot? Well, it was no great matter. Ard still didn’t understand why he had been summoned. He strode into the study to find out.

It was a familiar scene. The panting Baron Paunch was slumped in his large, soft armchair, cursing endlessly.

Ard entered and asked cautiously, “My lord, you sent for me?”

“Yes!” Quentin snarled. “Those shameless bandits came for my treasury again! Although we made them pay for it, they still managed to get away with some of my things! Go and see if these are the men from the stronghold!”

With a wave of Quentin’s hand, several men carried a few corpses into the room.

It would be a miracle if Ard could recognize any of them. But it didn’t matter. Even if they weren’t, they had to be.

Ard said with certainty, “The Sunstone Stronghold has many men, I can’t recognize them all. But this one, as it happens, I have met before. He is indeed from the stronghold.”

Ard pointed to a random body. The Baron let out a thunderous roar. “I knew it was that shameless Ogre bastard! And you all told me not to act rashly! If we don’t act, he’ll be riding on our heads! I’ll kill him this time!”

The steward’s heart was bitter. It was easy enough to say, but to actually take down the well-established Sunstone Gang was another matter entirely. Who would he send? If he rashly led the army, those wine-sacks and potato-bags, they would be torn to shreds. And if they failed, he could well imagine how his unforgiving master would berate him into unemployment. Unemployment would be a blessing; if he were killed by those bandits, it would be over.

The steward looked at Ard with a pained expression, his eyes sending a clear message: Kid, it’s your time to shine.

Ard was speechless. This old fox. But he did indeed step forward. Now was not the time for these two sides to tear each other apart; that would likely lead to a one-sided slaughter.

He said respectfully to the Baron, “How could a man who can only be king in the desolate mountains possibly be your opponent, my lord? With a single word from you, the entire domain would rise up and tear those treacherous thieves to shreds. However, I was thinking… perhaps now is not the time to deal with these petty criminals.”

The Baron’s expression softened slightly at Ard’s flattery, but then immediately darkened again. “Not the time? If we wait any longer, he’ll be turning the heavens upside down!”

Ard quickly said, “Please, my lord, hear me out. If you are still not satisfied after I’ve finished, you can throw me out.”

The Baron snorted and fell silent.

Ard continued, “Although you are mighty, my lord, those men are a pack of rats. If you so much as stir, they will surely scatter in fear. And once they scatter, even you would have a hard time hunting them all down. As I’ve said before, you now have the Sixth Master as your man on the inside. Why not use this advantage to set a trap for that Ogre? When I return to the stronghold and tell the Sixth Master of your intentions, he will surely rack his brains to deliver that Ogre’s head to you.”

Ard saw that although Quentin’s anger had subsided, it was not completely gone. So, he threw out a temptation the Baron couldn’t possibly refuse. “My lord, don’t forget. Knowing that the valuables were taken by the Sunstone Gang is good news!”

Quentin asked suspiciously, “Good news?”

“That’s right!” Ard smiled. “Doesn’t this mean your valuables aren’t lost, just stored in a different place? We’ve already said that we would present the entire treasury of the Sunstone Gang to you as a tribute.”

The Baron’s expression instantly changed from cloudy to sunny. “Are you really certain you can do it?” he laughed.

“Give us six days. In six days, you will see that Ogre’s head! Once he is gone, the Sunstone Gang will be in the palm of our hand, and the stronghold’s treasury will be all yours, will it not?”

The Baron said happily, “Good, good, good! You are truly my trusted confidant!” He glanced at the slightly embarrassed steward and snorted. “Unlike some people who only know how to take money and do nothing.”

“The steward actually had the same idea,” Ard quickly added. “When I came over, he had a servant tell me to be sure to calm your anger, my lord. The steward is an old servant of the manor; how could he not be devoted to you?”

This time, the Baron looked at the old steward with a kinder expression. “Is that so? I’ve wronged you then.”

The steward looked at Ard with gratitude, then bowed. “Not at all, my lord. We all serve you. It is our duty to do our utmost.”

By the time they had finished their discussion, the sky had already grown dark.

Perhaps Ard’s performance today had impressed the Baron, because he insisted on having dinner with the “couple.” Ard and Yexi were once again treated to the sight of the fat pig’s appetite. A large, round table that was usually only brought out for banquets was laden with food, and there were only the three of them eating. Yexi was responsible for one percent of the food, and then she put down her cutlery. Ard, due to his intense training, ate a lot, but still only managed about ten percent of the table. 

The rest went into the Baron’s stomach. Ard felt that even if he didn’t deal with this bsstard, the fat pig would one day eat himself to death, and that day was not far off.

After the Baron had cleared the table like a whirlwind, Ard took the opportunity to request permission to return to the stronghold.

Quentin asked, puzzled, “Why go back to that poor, remote place? Isn’t my manor a thousand times better?”

Ard said seriously, “The Sunstone Stronghold is indeed a world apart from the Marquis’s manor. But I was sent out of the stronghold by the Sixth Master through a clever ruse. It was all within the rules of the stronghold. If I don’t return soon, I’m afraid the Sixth Master will be suspected. You know that the Ogre has always been suspicious of him. If I become a weak point, it might hinder your plan to obtain the Sunstone treasury.”

The Baron was convinced. “Ah, then you must go back. The plan is in your hands. If you succeed, you will be the next leaders of the Sunstone Gang!”

“Thank you, my lord, thank you!”

“When are you planning on returning?”

Ard thought for a moment. “I’ll rest for the night and go back in the morning.”

The Baron was stunned. “That late?”

Ard’s mouth twitched. This boss is really something. No consideration for his employees at all. It’s already so dark, and he wants me to travel through the night?

The Baron, perhaps realizing his words were a bit tactless, quickly corrected himself. “I’m just worried that if you go back too late, that Ogre will become suspicious.”

“That’s why I have this woman.” Ard pulled Yexi into his arms with a swagger. Regardless of the turmoil in her heart, her performance was flawless. She shrank into his embrace, timid and trembling.

Ard gave a lecherous grin. “I’ll just say I snatched a woman and got a bit carried away.”

The Baron also gave a lecherous grin. But seeing Yexi’s disguised, plain face, he immediately lost interest. He would find one of his own beautiful concubines later to have some fun.

And so, after dinner, Ard and Yexi returned to their room.

The moment they were inside, Ard’s demeanor changed. He turned to the stone-faced Yexi and said seriously, “Alright, what will it take for you to spare my life?!”

Yexi said coldly, “Looking at your expression, I truly thought you were getting carried away.”

“I was carried away to outer space and was about to suffocate,” Ard said, his serious face crumbling. He asked tentatively, “Can I live?”

“You can.”

“How?” Ard asked humbly.

Yexi thought for a moment, then her gaze swept over Ard’s entire body, finally settling on his lower half, a look that sent a chill down his spine.

Ard slowly covered his groin. “As a former man yourself, you should understand how important this place is. I object.”

Yexi sneered. “So only when you’re going to become a eunuch, you’re now remembering I used to be a man? Do you realize how perverted you are, lusting after me? A man with one of the five viscera missing… you know what you’re lacking, right?”

“I know, I know.” Ard knew that whatever she said now was right.

Yexi’s eyes narrowed. “Your punishment is to sleep.”

“Sleep?”

“That’s right. Beside me.”

“Still beside you?!” Ard’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. This was too sudden a blessing. Was this the legendary “when happiness comes knocking”? He was about to be knocked out.

“You seem very excited.” Yexi’s cunning smile made Ard realize this “blessing” might not be so easy to accept.

And just as he had thought, on the same bed, the distance between him and Yexi was only the length of a hand. Ard found it impossible to sleep. But this sleeplessness was different from the one in the village. This time, he had no time to covet her beauty.

Because his waist was currently suspended in mid-air. And directly below it, a small piece of a chopstick was standing upright. Ard was lying on the bed in an arched position. The feeling was exquisite. And he couldn’t move. Yexi had locked him in place with her Ki. The small piece of chopstick was also coated in her Ki. If he let his body sag, the discomfort in his waist would be no different from being completely drained overnight.

As expected of a former assassin. She has so many ways to torment people.